Cultivator.



P. LOGHTIN.

GULTIVATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED 00T. 11,1906.

Patented Jan.5, 1909.

MMM.

PETER LOCHTIN, OF ALEXANDROW, NEAR MOSCOW, RUSSIA.

CULTIVATOR.

Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed. October 11, 1906. Serial N o. 338,413.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER LooHTIN, of AleXandrow, Russia, a subject ofthe Emperor of Russia, and whose post-office address is AleXandrow, nearMoscow, have invented new and useful Im rovements in Cultivators, ofwhich the fol owing is a specification.

The present invention relates to an irnproved means for cultivating theground and apparatus therefor andan important object is to make thedeeper parts of the ground available for the roots of plants growingtherein.

The usual methods of working the ground effect only a shallowbreaking-up of the soil; they do not prevent the loosened heavy soil,for example, clay soil, running together after a heavy fall of rain anddrying later to a hard mass. As the ground under the surface soil is inmost cases iirm, the roots of the plants have hard work to penetrateinto. the ground and cannot go far into the subsoil. In this mannerrecourse has usually been had for the growth of plants to a thin layerof soil (about 5 to 25 centimeters thick).

The cultivators in accordance with the present inventionhave as animportant object the making of the stores of food and water in thesubsoil as far as possible accessible to the plants, whereby a depth canbe attained or is to be attained which exceeds.

the depth of the surface soil by two, three and fourfold and perha sstill more. But for the land which has requently only porous earth overa layer five to ten centimeters thick on firm subsoil, the layer of soilaccessiten, iifteen, twenty centimeters and more,

according to the species of plant andmethod of sowing etc.

The cultivators according to the present invention make holes or cutsthe sides of which are compressed. The earth (clay,

loam, marl etc.) cannot run iirmly or closely together in these tubularor narrow iiat spaces, on account of the frictional resistance of thesides. The cavities form places for storing rain water and oer placeswhich are easily penetrable for the roots of the plants which are richlyprovided with water and means of nourishment. Also when there is ascarcity of rain these cavities will be exceedingly useful for theplants, as they open to them the layers of the ground containing muchWater. The cultivator may be taken before the low or the harrow over theland under cu tivation. The compression of the sides of the cavitiesGive reason for supposing (and trials confirm this supposition), thatthe beneficial effect of the cu tivators will be manifested also in thesecond, third, and probably still later years, especially in heavyground, all the more as the roots penetrating into the cavities whichremain there and after decaying will give new roots the possibility ofpenetrating dee ly into the ground. If the ground is wor ed for sometime annually with the cultivator, a layer of the vground about onemeter thick will be likewise gradually made accessible to the plants, asis the present surface soil.

With reference to the manner of working the cultivators for differentplants, two cases Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

may be diii'erentiated. Firstly, there .are

plants, such as grasses and all kinds of corn, the roots 'of whichspread out to all sides, For such plants it is not necessary to placethe seed on the places where the cavities are situated; the kroots ofthe plants will themselves find the same. Secondly, therey are plants,such as turnips, parsle etc. the roots of which penetrate vertica lyinto the earth. For these plants it is necessary to place the seed asexactly as possible over the cavities. In the case of plants withvertical roots, the latter receive the form of oblique cones (or balls)on account of the increasing closeness of the ground. The cause of theVheads of turnips (and potatoes) projecting from the earth is veryprobably also to be found in this circumstance. If enlarged cavities aremade in the upper part of the ground for these plants, the roots pass atonce to the more cylindrical shape. Accordingly it appears advantageousto make the cavities of the ground wider above for these plants;

The land is radically improved by the cultivatorsin accordance with thepresent invention, without changing the upperA sur- It is alsoadvantageous rto Work the L face. cultivator on dee porous or loosesoil. The plants are grate ul for every alleviation fof the Work to bedone by their roots. found Ethat cultivators effect a much quickerripening of the plants, besides an increase of the harvest. K Moreparticularly the present invention consists animproved means forcultivating the ground and anl 'improved 'apparatus for carrying thesame into effect, and in order 'that the 'details of/oonstruction 'andaction of the invention 'may be more 'clearly under stood, reference ismade to the accompanying drawing 'in which one form of lthe iculti*-vat'or is given tby way of example, and in which: l. r r Y l Figure 1'is an Aelevation partly -in section; Fig. 2 is -'afsectio'nal elevationv'on lthe line a5-t in Fig. vl taken tonaclarger scale 'and showingmeans for rotating the lcpzultivator-rods'; Fig. 3 is a plan view 'of amodified constructiona'l form snowing La device for giving aisernirotation to the cultivator-rods'; Fig. 4 shows aside and end-elevation `of part of'one vcultivator-rod ^on 'a still Ylarger scale.

'Similar reference numerals refer to Lsimilar parts 'in .all views. i

. 'The machine lconsists 'of a row of rods `V3,

which are mounted, on 'an 4'endlessjcha'in '2 so as to projecttherefromin a 'vertical plane. This v endless chain runs over three pulleys "1and is carried lby `a frame 5. The whole vltraine is arranged so that.it 4vcan travel, A transmission vof motion from the wheels is provided'by vwhich 'the chain runs 'continuously round the pulleys, and with'such `a speed that the rods have 'no progressive motion with respect'to the ground, that isto say, theyremain stationary relatively to Atheground. Further, "a fixed rail 4 is "arranged Vonthe"travelingframe.This rail serves for setting the rods in a rotating vror vto and frommotion. A Y

'In Fig. "2 the 'arrangement Vforjtlie .rotating motionis shown indetail. The toothed 'wheel 5 is arranged 'ontn'e rods 3, which 'wheelengages in the rack 4, and the rods, being'nowmoved relatively to therack, are rotated. An immovable 'rail 6 serves ^for maintaining the 4rod`in the proper direction.

In Fig. 3 is shown'apart of modified constructionjwith a device forobtaining a s erni-y Vvrotational motion of the rods. The fixed -railZiis made double in this case, v"and is pro- 'vided with 'studs "orwedge-shaped .projec- 'tions 8. Cross-bars 7 on the 'rods 3 'hit theprojections '8 when said rods 'are 'movedlonv Vgitudinally and therebyset the 'rod itself in la ro'tationally vibrating motion. Lastly itv maybe pointed 'out that 'the rods are with It -is I advantage formed chiselor knife-shaped, as A shows, thfe xlower part being somewhat broaderthan the rod itself. It is thereby at- Stailned that the frictionalresistances are 'avoided in the boring of the cavities.

While I have described in the Vforegoing specification the constructionof parts and operations preferred I am aware that numerous changes ofconstruction and operation may be Vmade without departing from thespirit andscopeof my invention, and I' therefore do not wish to beunderstood as 4limiting myself bythe positive terms vemployed inconnection with the description, 'excepting such Aas 'the state lof theart may require.

vIlih'at I claim, Vand Ldesire tosecure by Letters Patent 'of the UnitedStates, is 1- I 11. Anapp aratus tor-cultivatingthe ground comp-risingla carriage, lan endless chain carlied -tiierebyjand revolving in avertical plane a series of boring toois mounted v'on said chain,projecting vertically therefrom in po'- sition to Ebejforc'ed into theAground by the movement of the Amachine Aand means for rotating saidboring tools 'while entering the ground. v t

2. In Aan apparatus 'for culitvating fthe ground the combination of alsuitable carriage, tn/'endless chain carried thereby, carry'- 'ingand'driving pulleys forosaid endless chain, by which it is vguided in avertical plane and in position inclining `downward from rfront andbacken `its u-nder side, a series of boring tools mounted rotatably insaid endless'c'hain "and projecting vertically from'th'e undersidethereof in position to be forced into the ground `and 'witixdrawnltherefrom by the forward motion of the machine, Yand means for impartinrotary )motion tothe said boring "tools wn` e-entering the ground.

S. In an IVapparatus for cultivating 'the 'ground 'the 4combination of asuitable carriage, y'an endless Ychain vcarried thereby, car rying anddriving 'pulleys for vsaid endless chain, 'by 'which it is guided in avertical plane and 2in position 'inclining downward from front and backon its under side, asee ries of boring ltools mountedrotatably insaidendless Ichain nand projecting vertically "from the 'under side tnereof`in position to 'be forced into the ground 'and with drawn therefrom bythe forward motion of the machine,

and `means for imparting `reciprocating rotary'motion to the said borintools while entering the ground,substantia ly as described. In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand in pres'en'ceof twosubscribing wit-IIGSSGS.

Y PETER LOCHTIN. Witnesses:

Goeman Hamme, PnlLirP LEvissonN.

